Tinsel Steelus
Tinsel Steelus is an OC for the F-Zero series. Created by TheIkranRider herself, she pilots the Silver Comet and is one of the lesser-known heroines in the franchise. Role in the F-Zero Multiverse As the name may imply, she's a fan of things that have a lot of luster. Back in the original F-Zero Grand Prix (F-Zero), Tinsel became fascinated with racing. Her prized machine, the Silver Comet, had led her in second place during the Knight League while Captain Falcon took the golden trophy. Unfortunately, her victory was cut short as she entered the Queen League; the circuits were more unforgiving, and she almost died when she couldn't make over a gap in White Land. She was hospitalized for so long from her near-death experience that she missed out on the King League, including the incident which took place during the Horrific Accident. Since then, she was thrown into despair and never wanted to race again. Her machine was left abandoned in a garage in Mute City, and she also missed out on the F-Zero X race. But, she eventually got her hopes up as she heard of another intergalactic tournament, F-Zero GX. She eventually enrolled after she met two young Duelists, Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler. Although Mute City and Port Town didn't suit their tastes, they were fascinated with the places and the fact the former's the main capital of all the F-Zero races. So, they decided to tag along as she explored certain parts of the galaxy while running into the undefeated champion, Captain Falcon. During his missions, they've discreetly used some cards to assist him, whether it'd be Slifer The Sky Dragon in the Lightning power plant, or Red-Eyes B. Dragon trying to dismantle a speed-sensitive bomb. Eventually, they met and the pair enrolled in the Grand Prix together to prevent his nemeses, Black Shadow and Blood Falcon, from winning. By the time they won, Yami Yugi sensed an evil presence, which was Deathborn who slewed the demon and challenged Falcon to a death-defining race. In the Underworld, the champion somehow emerged victorious before the team was about to use their Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. Then, they were encased in cards while the bounty hunter faced off the creator spirits. After that, they resumed their exploration. And it was about a year since she then met Rick Wheeler and the Task Force as he was looking for Samurai Goroh. She became a member of the crew and usually had a certain disposition with Jody Summer and Jack Levin. There was a time when she used her Duel Monster cards during a party in Truman's home. She dropped the Duel Disk and avoided a trap set by him as Rick, Lucy Liberty, and the Arrows were caged in a basement. She countered him and the Bloody Chain using Kuriboh and Multiply, the Galaxy Police arrived, and Truman avoided arrest. However, she made an enemy for life, threatening him that if he should capture racers once more, it'll be his "head in the smasher." There was a reprieve for a few days, until Rick lamented over his lost past. Her relationship has grown for him since then, and she even saved his life from The Skull's spell after she succeeded using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. There were also some times when she had to contact the Duelists for emergencies such as when Roger Buster and Draq were participating in a race against Rick as Pico attached speed-sensitive bombs to every F-Zero machine after a promise he made to Alias on winning it, or when she borrowed some of their low-leveled Duel Monsters to hold back the fatal meteor storm after Zoda deactivated the shields. When the Crystal Cup ended, that began her curse on losing every challenge as Rick, Falcon, and Jack, and at one time Lucy, stole her victories. She became very glum after that. By the time the Duelists went up against a 10,000-year old curse, things got complicated for Tinsel. Without saying a word, she just got up and went as she decided to quit dueling. The Task Force was actually surprised and glad that she volunteered to work for them full-time; it was indeed a better fit for her since she had more skill and experience as well as a better sense of belonging. Not to mention she loved hanging out and helping her friends along the way. Despite their relationship lasting for about a month, Yugi, Yami, and Joey still remained friends with her, but their contacts since then became very seldom. After several months of winning race after race, while never taking in first, she eventually was brainwashed by Dark Million. She recently enrolled in the Hovercraft Hub on Planet Tortiz 3, as a way to improve her skills since she hardly ended up in the top five. Fortunately, the spell eventually wore off and Dr. Stewart made a formula to reverse the effects. She had an accident at Mist Flow, then she recovered as Rick was watching over her. Through time, she slowly had a deeper attachment to the pilot as she learned of his dark past and the loss of Haruka Misaki. She promised to herself she'll always be there for him, as he has always been supportive. During the mid-spring, she returned to headquarters only to find Rick and his team missing. She knew Dark Million was behind all this and so she'd fit the pieces together and encounter new friends along the way. So far, she was successful on reuniting with Rick, Jack, Lucy and Mr. EAD; however, she was unable to save Dr. Theodore Clash after he was involved in a tragic death. Still, she manages to push forward and she would never give up as long as her friends are by her side. Since then, she moved onto the finals and learned the Booster Fire, as well as a special technique that enabled her machine to make longer leaps as she enters a Jump Plate, and land more lightly. She witnessed a terrifying incident during the Championship race as Black Shadow took Rick back to Dark Star. Fortunately, she was reunited with him as she, Falcon, and his friends helped him regain his senses and escape while he was saving Rodney. But things took a turn for the worst as she unexpectedly encountered Jody where her team was going to meet. As soon as she made an ultimatum to kill Super Arrow with a special bullet she made, in exchange for the Duelists' lives, Tinsel went berserk and declared quitting the Task Force. Soon after, she was abducted by Black Shadow, and he made a deal with Rick to surrender the remaining Light Reactor Mights. Now, this begins a perilous journey to his own turf with Dr. Stewart as the only infected associate left. By an act of faith, Rick was able to save Tinsel while she was in a deadly scrimmage with Miss Killer. After some attempts trying to intimidate and trick him, he made a fateful decision to save his true love thanks to Haruka's kindred spirit. She later reunited with her friends, and Rodney decided to tag along as the trio entered the Dark Reactor Core. It was there where Dr. Stewart recited the legend of the savior. Rick Wheeler was the chosen one, as the Wuji for the Yin and Yang that was Black Shadow and Captain Falcon respectively. After the Death Anchor destroyed the restricted lab creating the Blood Falcons, Rick made a declaration to defeat Deathborn for good, leaving his beloved with the memos he kept. It was only a matter of time before she saw Rick emerge victorious after defeating Deathborn and destroying the Dark Reactor; however, the loss of Captain Falcon was quite devastating. Nonetheless, Yami, Haruka, and even Jody and Dr. Stewart congratulated her on her accomplishments by reuniting the Task Force and saving the universe. After a week of grievance, she resigned gracefully and went on her last mission, to take care of Rick, who's become the official savior and Falcon's replacement. She was incredibly grateful that her new friends had found a place within the Federation, as well as finally overcoming her worst fear as Rick took her to White Land. Using the technique James McCloud taught her, she had nothing to dread and she and Rick had never been more closer, as they felt complete at last. A couple months later, Rick received his first bounty hunting assignment which happened to be in Port Town. The Hive was to set off an epidemic known as the T-Virus and is owned by the corrupt Umbrella Corp. Rick took the challenge to save his and the late Falcon's home world, and he barely made it out alive. Tinsel saw him comatose until he was revived hours after thanks to Falcon's encouragement as well as the Light Reactor Mights. Several months later, she was engaged to Rick, and she remained by his side throughout his new career as a successful bounty hunter. After he reached 50 captors, he and she got a word from Jody that Lily Flyer needed to be rescued by a street gang. They did, and she informed them that she was practicing a tune that was rumored to awaken the plasma Deity of Giant, Plassein. She was on her way there; coincidentally, so were they to relax there for a week. This unexpectedly turned into a salvage mission on apprehending Don Genie, who was obsessed with money, and would fulfill a prophecy that the Chosen One must reunite the four Materia orbs to restore the world. This made Rick's 51st bounty, and Tinsel was with him all the way. Together, they went through the Deities temples and obtained the spheres, but Don made a last stand by shocking Rick and Plassein. In his weak state, he urged her to finish the mission by placing the orbs of Plassein and Gastro to their corresponding slots, resulting in the restoration of the warring triad, and the damage done to Giant. She and Rick recovered, mourned, and spent their week-long vacation, then he showed her his new abilities thanks to Goroh's rigorous tutoring. It was then that Tinsel witnessed Rick's profound techniques, and they both realized that he rightfully chose to follow Falcon's footsteps and those were the signs of the calling of his destiny. She later met up with a lost alien from the Empyrean Colony named P.J.; she and Rick volunteered to get him back on his feet after the massive explosion there. She and Rick have set a future wedding date, on October 9, 2577, on the second anniversary on the day they first met in Planet Cryton, around four weeks after he woke up from cold sleep. The plans were all laid out, from the bridesmaids and ushers, to the locations of the ceremony and reception, to picking their mentor, Burt, as the wedding officiant. Heck, they already planned on what would their attire could look like. The merry occasion would start on that day, while also inviting some odd guests such as Goroh and his family, even the Duelists' other friends Tea and Tristian, and even Lewis Legend from the Dark Purveyors. Silver Comet Statistics Body: C Boost: A Grip: B Advanced settings from parts of the Big Fang Body: B Boost: A Grip: C The Silver Comet was inspired by Hailey's Comet. As it shines while it races, its shape of the machine is very similar to a comet's luminous body and tail. This was revealed that it was once Dr. Clash's experimental machine, a prototype in which Tinsel obtained; much like Rick with the Dragon Bird. Despite the appearance, it's also able to shoot out ice beams, freezing her enemies. It was rumored to be by a reconstruction after the incident in White Land, from the nozzles to withstanding heat. A perfect example was when Tinsel was chasing after Rick who was on the pursuit for Jody to Planet Alcatran. The duo was attacked by Zoda, and Tinsel showed up at the last minute freezing the machine gun aloft instantly. The Comet also has sub-par endurance, its defenses are still an improvement. But it's boost is extraordinary, and it handles sharp and slight turns fairly well. It's easy to handle and it helped Tinsel obtain many victories, even though she doesn't always mind being in first place. Until there was a slight change as it was enhanced by components from Bio Rex's Big Fang. It now has the same stats as the Dragon Bird EX, minus the Reactor Might she had. Thus, she couldn't use her ice beams unless there was one present in the ignition. Tinsel's main weaknesses in racing were handling sharp turns, the Comet's weak endurance, as well as lagging behind her teammates. The thing is she usually wants her friends to win, as she always feels she may steal the spotlight from them. It was mostly they're job to win against Dark Million after all. And being she was a newbie, she never wanted to be a burden. Her other issue outside of competing was her meekness. Jody once lectured her about it, as she needs to take chances like Rick and Jack do. She must not hold back, even if the going gets tough despite being a woman. That if she could overcome her fears, she'd be unstoppable. Tinsel used that point of advice during the Big Blue race and won first while saving her life and Leon's in the process. Since then, it was the thing that kept her motivated on reuniting the Task Force. Tinsel is known to have a pure, sympathetic heart, and she would deal with any risk to help her allies in need, especially Rick whom she feels the most compassionate for. However, if you mess with her and her friends, she can be as cold as ice. Trivia * Her surname, Steelus, was something Ikran picked up when she was younger as someone with an accent was describing the Pittsburgh Steelers; both steel and tinsel are lustrous matching the pilot's likes for all things shiny. * The Silver Comet was an inspiration from Hailey's Comet. * Tinsel only shares the original F-Zero timeline, with GP Legend/Climax before Maximum Velocity and after GX. * Instead of Haruka Misaki, from Ikran's dismay, she decided that Tinsel'd be a better fit as Rick's love interest and vice versa. She hated how Miss Killer was revived from brainwashing so late in the anime, and even still she beat Rick to a bloody pulp! * The Silver Comet was a prototype created by Dr. Clash before she participated in the first F-Zero race; it wasn't until her accident in White Land that enhanced its features and housed a Reactor Might. * She was interested in Duel Monsters, but was no longer inspired as Yugi and Joey were awakening the Dragons; it was official as it got too complicated, and then she decided to be a full-time F-Zero pilot. * One of the things she despises doing is wasting things. She's indeed a pack rat, and she's an animal lover. * She seems to be very meek, but when she snaps she can be as vicious and cold as ice can get! However, her icy heart soothes Rick's hotheadedness, and he warms her own heart. * She was on hiatus from F-Zero racing for 13 years due to the incident in White Land. It wasn't until the GX Grand Prix when she finally spread her wings, thanks to Capt. Falcon. * Sadly, she only made it up to the last Queen League course before she quit racing for 13 years. She did make it in second in the Knight League, though she hardly ever reached first until after her visit in the Hovercraft Hub. * While she attended the second Tribal Ceremony, she joined Rick and wore her own tribal outfit; from that night on, she was known as one of the Four Guardians, the Black Tortoise which represents winter and the north, and is also literally translated as Genbu (in Japanese) or the Mysterious/Dark Warrior, utilizing a tortoise/turtle with a snake for a tail or intertwined. 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